Skincare is always a bit of a tough market to negotiate, with plenty of companies promising wondrous benefits from their products. However, mainstream skincare suppliers often stuff their products full of synthetic additives which can easily be avoided by opting for natural alternatives.

Luckily, this post will run through some natural alternative skincare options that are not only 100% naturally sourced but edible, too!

Peppermint

Fresh and minty, peppermint does far more than just freshen up your breath – it can be used for a whole host of skincare applications. When distilled into oil, peppermint’s active ingredient, menthol, is brought to the surface.

Menthol brightens and tones the skin, all while limiting the production of excess oils – a vital property if you’re prone to irksome acne breakouts. Combine this with its fresh, minty scent and you have an unmissable addition to your collection of natural skincare products.

Green tea

A worthy alternative to your morning coffee, green tea is crammed with goodness that can really benefit your skin. You may have heard of this refreshing drink’s antioxidant properties, but the benefits don’t stop there. Green tea is also an effective anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory skincare option, making it a superb all-around choice as a shower gel or facial scrub that will tackle some nasty skin infections with ease.

But wait – there’s more. Green tea also includes tannins – super-useful microscopic proteins that can reduce the oiliness of your skin. We’re not sure there’s anything green tea can’t do, and this is all without the need for synthetic chemicals that can damage sensitive skin.

Chamomile

Green tea isn’t the only hot drink treat that has some superb skincare properties. Chamomile tea, often seen as something to help you sleep at night, actually has some skincare properties in the same vein that can soothe and calm skin that has been irritated.

Much like green tea, chamomile’s antioxidant properties are off the scale – meaning a chamomile facial oil can be used to reduce the signs of aging as soon as they appear. You could easily combine chamomile tea induced beauty sleep with chamomile beauty products to give your skin a double-pronged boost.

Soy

There’s very little that the soybean can’t do. A jack of all trades when it comes to cuisine, soy is also an impressive skincare ingredient, as it includes vital antioxidants, as well as phytoestrogens – which can reduce skin redness, as well as boosting collagen production.

Soy’s qualities even extend to offering sun protection. A soy-based cream can reduce the damage caused by UVB exposure. UVB is the wavelength of ultraviolet light that causes skin reddening and sunburn, so soy can keep you looking sharp during summertime, all while reducing the risk of skin cancer.

Oats

Yes, really. Your breakfast could hold the key to reducing the appearance of eczema and allay the effects of allergic reactions. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-filled, oat scrubs can blitz skin irritations with ease.

All you need to do is grind up oats and add a little brown sugar, and add to a natural oil such as jojoba, then mix it up and leave it in a pot until you need it. This offers an effective and low-cost alternative to synthetic facial scrubs, as well as a great way to avoid using plastic microbeads.

We hope this post has made you look twice at the food and drink in front of you, and will help you keep an eye out for these brilliantly beneficial ingredients when you’re next on the hunt for a skincare solution.